On Tisha Ba'av Chief Kess Abayahu Azarya, the spiritual leader of the Ethiopian Jewish Community ascended the Temple Mount with several other Kessim for the very first time. The story began two years ago when Yosef Rabin, International Spokesman for the Movement for Temple Renewal, organized a meeting between top Rabbis of the Temple Mount Movement and Kess Abayahu Azarya. During that first meeting, the Chief Kess was very keen in getting involved and slammed his fist on the table and declared "We must begin! Where do we start?" Over the years a number of attempts were made to bring the Kessim to the Mount, but due to intense debate within the Council of Kessim, the attempts did not materialize. To the surprise of Rabin this Tisha Bav, Kess Azarya and a few other Kessim made a split second decision after finishing their prayers at the Western Wall to ascend to the Temple Mount. In a phone call with Kess on Wednesday, Azarya expressed his shock at the terrible conditions for Jews who want to ascend, including long lines, crowded conditions, and humiliating checks. The Kess expressed his intentions to continue ascending and involving his community. The Movement for Temple Renewal blesses the decision of the Kess to ascend the Mount and look forward to deepening ties with the Kessim and Ethiopian community. *Please help us continue to organize signatures on the growing petition (nearing 2,000) to increase international support for Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount. https://www.change.org/p/sign-and-share-the-temple-mount-manifesto